Karan Johar to Produce Abhishek Varman’s Gadadhari Bheem

Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is reportedly backing a new superhero rooted in Indian mythology. Abhishek Varman, the filmmaker behind 2 States and Kalank, has written the script and will direct Gadadhari Bheem, according to industry reports. There is no official announcement yet, but the early outline already signals a big-screen event.

The title itself sets expectations: “Gadadhari” points to a mace-bearer, and Bheem is the Mahabharata hero known for his strength. A superhero story built around that figure would give Hindi cinema an original, homegrown hero rather than an adaptation of a Western comic-book character.

What the reports say

As per industry sources, the script is locked and casting is currently on. The project is being imagined as a one-of-a-kind superhero story deeply rooted in Indian mythology; that blend of desi lore with comic-book scale is still rare in Hindi cinema.

The makers are reportedly mounting the film on a massive scale with a huge budget. The insider described it as a visual spectacle made for theatres: a tentpole experience designed to be watched on the big screen, not a phone.

Why this stands out

Karan Johar adding a mythological superhero to the Dharma slate is a shift. The banner has built its reputation on romance, family drama and glossy star vehicles. This project points toward event cinema with a homegrown hero at the centre. For Dharma, it is also a bet on the kind of spectacle that pulls audiences back to theatres, where the studio’s biggest titles earn their scale.

For Abhishek Varman, it is a gear change too. After relationship dramas such as 2 States and the ensemble Kalank, Gadadhari Bheem takes him into pure spectacle territory.

Indian cinema has been trying to build its own superhero vocabulary for years, mostly through sci-fi or Western-leaning formulas. A mythological superhero offers a different route: the characters and their powers already live in the audience’s cultural memory, which can make a big-budget origin story feel familiar and fresh at once.

Here is what we know so far:

• Producer: Dharma Productions (as per reports)
• Writer-director: Abhishek Varman
• Genre: mythological superhero
• Status: script locked, casting underway
• Scale: big-screen tentpole with a huge budget
• Cast, schedule and release timeline: under wraps

What comes next

Fans will have to wait for official word. The leading cast and production partners are expected to be confirmed only once paperwork and schedules are finalised. For now, there is no shooting schedule, tentative cast or release timeline to report, and the budget claims come from unnamed industry sources rather than an official announcement.

The timing adds a note of transition: Karan Johar recently announced the final season of Koffee With Karan, so even as one long-running era winds down, his production slate is clearly looking ahead.

Source: Bollywood Bubble

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